HEAVY HAULAGE in ACTION - A Steel Giant On The Road | Full Documentary

[Music] a mega transport at a mining site a huge steel frame needs to be moved the perfect job for heavy haulage pro randolph peters the load sinks a bit here so we'll put supports over there they'll be navigating a real obstacle course with a super tight squeeze under this hopper belt conveyor you're going to lower the chassis another hazard the power lines on the way if we don't turn off the power and it sparks that's bad news keeping a sharp eye on the transporter means walking backwards for kilometers at a time it's about five kilometers per hour you get used to it then there's tight corners and steep slopes to contend with a precision operation for a load as big as this the united schlienhein coal mine some 40 kilometers south of leipzig in the german state of saxony giant excavators are hard at work on four seams of lignite brown coal each turn of the bucket wheel scoops about 15 cubic meters about 11 million tons a year in all the lignite ends up here in the lippendorf power plant it generates enough electricity and district heating to supply about 60 of the households in the city of leipzig huge hopper belt conveyors stretching over many kilometers bring the lignite to the plant hopper belt conveyors also shift the overburden about 35 million tons of it a year to the spreader the strip pits are then refilled with rocks and soil the hopper belt conveyors extend over nearly 38 kilometers they're equipped with drive stations fitted with powerful electric motors as the excavators chew their way through the terrain additional hopper belt conveyors and drive stations have to be brought in they'll be transported here from a decommissioned strip mine this equipment has been out of operation for 30 years and has been partially dismantled but soon it will be getting back to work randolph peters is in charge of transporting the drive station [Music] well the problem is that the drive station is 49 meters long and almost six meters wide the section of the mine we'll be driving through has some tight turns and the road takes us up some hilly terrain so it'll be a challenge now it's time for the final convo with andreas tzuron who's in charge of dismantling and setting up the drive station we'll put it over there the route will take them under a hopper belt conveyor so the two crawler tracks will have to go up there you can see where the beam was cut in order to separate the crawler tracks from the drive station we'll rest it on the beam for transport we want to lower the height of the drive station to give it a maximum clearance of 5 meters 20. this here is the support beam we've mounted for the job a flatbed truck is fetching the transport vehicles there are three transport modules in all two of them have a drive system this module doesn't this module this module weighs 16 tons it has to be clipped to the mount and unloaded usually that's pretty easy one of the easier jobs but the exception proves the rule randolph peters and gunter loop attach the chains when they try to lift the module there's a surprise in store one of the axles is drooping ah there's no plug in it what no plug look the crane operator's not having it it's broken you've brought a wreck it's not broken normally it wouldn't droop down like that because they put a plug a connector in it and they forgot to do that not that it matters before the transporter gets underway all the plugs that keep the axles raised will be removed the next flatbed truck rolls in the module it's carrying has an engine in front it's an spmt a self-propelled modular transporter unloading this 21-ton vehicle isn't going to be easy we're going to have to pick the right points to attach it so that the vehicle will be reasonably level when we lift it the front is heavier the engine is five tons we have to figure out where to attach the hooks to keep it level if we use the regular points it will tilt toward the five-ton engine moving the connectors is finicky work and at nearly 35 degrees celsius in the shade it's a real slog man it's hot 20 minutes later the hold points are in position the two heavy load experts can now attach the crane hook don't scratch the paint will dock your pay but this is hard work in the heat all that stuff is pretty heavy but this is made of iron relative and the heat really adds to the fun time to hoist up the spmt it doesn't stay level the rear lifts up but the nose the engine end bumps against the loading surface they've got to put it back down again but randolph peters has a solution to unload this one we're going to start the engine to lift the power pack 25 degrees with that extra clearance we'll be able to lift it with the crane and unload it wants to make sure the engine isn't [Music] damaged [Music] unloading was the easy part the next stage will put the two heavy haulage experts to the test we're going to connect the two four axle modules the one with an engine which we just unloaded and the one without an engine that setup will let us drive on public roadways with a 12 ton axle load the transport vehicles and the load will weigh 130 tons in all which have to be distributed across 12 axles the spmt is steered by remote control this espn the spmt is a self-propelled modular transporter we use them on mining sites because there's not enough room for a larger transporter what's good about a vehicle like this is that each wheel can be controlled independently and each axle can rotate 360 degrees in a four axle module two axles are powered by a hydraulic unit which can also function as a brake their deck height can be hydraulically adjusted by about 40 centimeters which helps keep it level on uneven ground which you'll see quite a lot on terrain like this to join the two modules they'll need to be perfectly flush that means shifting back and forth until they're in position we're going to move the module with the engine to the engineless one try to get the loops in position and couple them with the pins that will connect the two modules head to tail the problem is that they're in position but the loops aren't meshing yeah you can use the chassis edge as your guide you want to look along the first edge to the second edge at some point you want it to form a straight line has to make sure that the connecting loops sync up and stay perfectly straight hang on stop the hydraulic hoses in the front module have to be inserted into openings in the rear module now randolph peters navigates the modules into position a centimeter at a time okay stop come on okay continue good good [Music] the openings in the loops need to match up perfectly otherwise the connecting pins can't be inserted yep yep i'm getting close good are you in no yes yep they did it now the tops of the two modules have to be connected in six spots this is hot and we're sitting on it you're cooked from below and the sun cooks your head these pins are heavy too but there's no time for a break the schedule's too tight for that and now we'll connect these hydraulic hoses the hydraulics are used to lift the modules lower them and in the middle which supply the engines in this heat good stuff once all the hydraulic and pneumatic connections are in place gunter loop tightens the last screws the spmt is ready for action randolph petas first moves the smaller single module to the loading zone transport machinery is his passion and these vehicles are something special [Music] at some point my boss realized that the company needed vehicles like this to stay competitive we talked it over and i was really interested in it so i did some training and here i am training is one thing experience is another yeah you need a lot of practice and there's always something new to learn every day and every job is different each load has a different weight every load has a different center of gravity the terrain varies the weather varies today's really hot the next day it might be very cold and that affects the hydraulics when it rains the traction is different there's always something new to take into account a flatbed truck is parked along the route gandolf peters tries to navigate his way past it but suddenly he's stuck reversing doesn't work either despite the spmt's 500 horsepower and 16 drive wheels he hauls out some big rocks from between the wheels they were acting like brake wedges what a drag they didn't pack down the surface well enough we'll go to another entrance with the rocks gone the spmt has enough traction to get through the gravel at the other entrance the ground is firm enough to give the transporter easy access for the moment randolph petas will park the single module at the loading zone gunta loop is bringing the longer spmt the one with two modules they don't want to get stuck again lesson learned gunta loop heads straight for the second entrance but they can't start loading the drive station quite yet first all the smaller parts dismantled from the drive station have to be moved a specialist company has removed everything from the drive station that would make the load higher than 5 meters 20. the heavy motors that power the bridge conveyors are also hauled onto trucks for transport to the new location guntaluk takes the opportunity to inspect one of the obstacles on the way a bridge conveyor they'll have to pass under this is what determined the maximum clearance of 5 meters 20. this curve is also too tight for the 50 meter long drive station to navigate we won't fit through this tight curve so we're going to lay out steel plates we'll drive we're too long to go that way and too high to get through over there we have to stick as close as possible to this pylon team member sigma burcha is laying out the 200 kilo steel plates beneath the conveyor bridge this ground here hasn't been packed down it's just coal dust and dirt so we just sink down into it the plates will allow us to drive this way without sinking that angle is okay right the angle is fine it'll work let's lay another two plates over there we'll go up to that corner and then give it two or three meters yeah right we'll have to lay another one over there i'll have to move one over there later we'll start here right an electromagnet helps lay the plates it's quick but a bit on the tricky side you have to make sure that it's pretty near the center and then set it down turn the lever off now it's activated then stand back before it's lifted the crane is high so it will swing a bit you do have to be a bit careful you don't want to jerk it up or move it too abruptly because of the rust and dirt the lifting action isn't always 100 [Music] working beneath the conveyor bridge can also be a challenge the crane needs a bit of clearance overhead and to the right and left here the bridge over us makes it a bit tricky but there's no way around it the only alternative would be to move the truck and crane several times and move the steel plates but there's no time for that the spmt is due here soon back at the old drive station site the spmt is ready for loading we're still missing two clamps two short and one long chain and two clamps prior to loading the two spmts will have to be brought into position the first challenge is positioning the spmt so that one's directly behind the other in a straight line if the two spmts aren't perfectly aligned steering won't be 100 percent then the wheels will start to drag or rotate on the road so we need to be perfectly aligned randolph first brings the shorter spmt into position it will carry the rear of the drive station the second longer spmt now has to be positioned in front of it precisely aligned and at the correct distance it's a complex maneuver [Music] they're aligned but what about the gap between nose and tail mark the three months we need twice the measuring tape 950 first axle last axle what's it at we're at 9 30 20 centimeters forward one more correction and it's perfect now it's time for the truck mounted crane one is 300 tons the other 400 tons andreas who works for the assembly company calls the shots now we take this heavy drive station which weighs around 70 tons and lift it carefully from the chassis once it's in the air we swing it over to the module which will bring it to its new location a delicate operation [Music] things can always go wrong if the crane jerks then these bridge sections could mount which we want to avoid this is precision work time for takeoff the load has to be distributed as equally as possible between the two cranes what's the load on your hook i've the drive station starts to sway that could be a problem let it calm down first then we'll continue i'll go to the front another 30 seconds and the drive station has stopped swinging okay start a slow lift the crane has deposited the 50 meter 70 ton steel frame but there's a problem the load is a bit lower over here so we're going to have to raise the other side of it the power pack needs clearance we want to be able to lift it if we hit any bumps on the road it can be lifted independently to raise the bed they'll use anti-skid mats on top of extremely sturdy azobe lumber then the crane operators can set the drive station down onto the two [Music] spmts it's safely birthed now to secure the load the huge tension chains weigh 50 kilos each it's a real workout there's nothing better every muscle group gets a workout so next up the drive station's two crawler tracks will be loaded they haven't budged in 30 years the 300 ton crane hauls the front crawler track over the drive station its factory specifications give a weight of around 33 tons it's going on a low bed truck for transport to the new site where it will be overhauled the rear crawler track is listed as weighing just two tons more but it doesn't budge it seems to be rooted to the spot the crane is no match for it this trawler track is too heavy the crane's main hoist has a maximum lifting capacity when that's exceeded the crane switches off that's our problem here the solution is called reeving the wire rope travels around an extra pulley which increases its hoist capacity by five tons the second attempt the reeving is a success the crane can lift the crawler chassis the crane operator can see how heavy the load is it's 38 tons three tons more than its factory specifications two hours later the crawler tracks are on their way now the spmts can get underway randolph peters avoids the direct route from the unloading site to the paved road he already got stuck when he tried to come in that way but the 130-ton transporter is also struggling to find enough traction on this back road everything okay it started spinning for a moment but now it's fine [Music] five minutes later they reach solid ground all right we're gonna head to the lignite mine with two spmts with my spmd they're synchronously controlled with a single remote control my colleague is responsible for monitoring the height of the spmt this first remote control will handle direction and speed even as a boy randolph peters was fascinated by heavy machinery as an agricultural trainee he was 16 when he received his license to drive tractors cars and trucks in 1994 at just 20 years of age he got his first job in the heavy transport industry a road like this is child's play for randolph peters here he can lay on some speed at this left turn though it gets a bit tight navigating the turn without hitting the street light is a precision operation what's going on back there plenty of room keep going just a small nudge okay we're past the street light a half hour later they reach another obstacle this conveyor bridge is the real bottleneck on the first section of their route the spmt has to pass under it hugging the center pylon that's the highest point we've laid out some plates so that we can drive underneath the conveyor system we'll stay next to the road so that we don't have to remove any of this vegetation there's about 20 centimeters clearance up top 10 would still be okay that's the plan in any case the spmt heads out on its mission the drive station is halfway through and then it happens the railing on the station scrapes up against the conveyor bridge going to lower the chassis with the spmt tilted to the left randolph peters guides the tail of the transporter to the right to gain clearance straighten up slowly because of the trees [Music] they pass by the trees with centimeters to spare all's well for now after 20 minutes the transporter has passed beneath the bridge conveyor the railing on top took a small scrape nothing more i didn't see it because of the sun grinta wasn't looking there normally there would have been enough room this time it was tight getting stuck costs them time randolph peters is going to have to pick up speed if he wants to get as far as they'd planned by nightfall [Music] but there's another obstacle two groups of power lines cross the street overhead we'll wait till the power is switched off at the first lines drive past it wait again until the second lines are switched off and drive past that the power lines are high enough to allow for plenty of clearance but they're not taking any chances if the power isn't shut off in the worst case scenario a spark could hit the rig that would be terrible for everyone that's what we want to prevent the first power lines are switched off gandalf petas guides the heavily loaded spmts safely to the other side on the way to the second power lines there's a sharp right turn this time they'll take the shoulder that could easily cause an ordinary flatbed transporter carrying such a heavy load to tip over this shows what a floating axle can do in the middle the axle is on asphalt there and on gravel there that's an eight centimeter height difference but the axle can handle that now they have to wait the power is switched back on for the first lines before it's turned off for the second ones otherwise the mine would have no power at all good ready now they pass beneath the second set of power lines they don't have far to go before they reach their destination for the evening a large intersection near the exit of the abandoned mine randolph pitas guides the transporter to the side so that it won't block traffic [Music] did you turn on the parking brake when you switch off the remote control it normally activates the brake but i've already done it today went well we got around every curve and clearance was good the power was turned off we drove underneath everything worked including on the tech side all good except for the weather we lit a candle in church yesterday but we should have lit two of them it was nice and toasty but rain would have made it perfect in any case the next stage will be a bit cooler we'll park here until 10 pm when we can drive on the highway with a police escort now it's time for a break it's 9 p.m in an hour the 50 meter 130 ton transporter will be allowed on the public road outside the lake night mine but first randolph petas has to do a bit more prep work together with his colleague kunta lupk who also goes by charlie we're attaching some spotlights here some lamps then we'll have enough light but that way we can see where the axles are headed on the next leg they'll be getting some support we'll have a police escort on the public roadway and then there's a traffic island where we'll have to remove some traffic signs same at the mine entrance but theory doesn't always match practice charlie ready charlie let's go it's a tight squeeze onto the highway a challenge for randolph peters there's vegetation to the front and back that should stay unscathed how much more back there more more there's also the risk that the self-propelled modular transporter will get stuck on the unpaved terrain a fence is also blocking the path but not for long the last obstacle here is this traffic sign it gets a somewhat gentler treatment [Music] at 10 pm on the dot the heavy transporter makes its way to the exit of the abandoned coal mine [Music] at the gate the transport pro switches off the spmt he's discussing the plan with the police and the advance commando thomas helmet and his crew will go on reconnaissance and clear a path for them the flatbed trucks carrying the crawler tracks are the first to head out next comes thomas helmet and his team he helps make sure that major transport jobs go off without a hitch and he loves his job every time out we're dealing with different sizes a different route different tasks i like that variety it never gets boring the first intersection is the exit to the highway there are a few hazards that need to be dealt with they'll have to drive over this traffic island they're too wide and long to squeeze through so we'll clear the way for them but removing traffic signs isn't enough plastic plates need to be laid out on the traffic island otherwise the heavy transporter might damage the paving stones [Music] the axles on the trailer are all powered if the transporter has to do any fancy maneuvering it will churn things up the next day the highway authorities will say what on earth happened here the team keeps up the pace the transporter is due to arrive any moment there are still two traffic signs in the way the first one is easy the second one is far more stubborn it's stuck fast in the ground the nurse's choke is rusted tight fisk from it trying to loosen the nut goes nowhere time for the secret weapon a kind of penetrating oil they have another go at it that does the trick a moment later the police roll in they'll be blocking the highway for motorists to minimize disruption the police don't head out until the transporter is ready and waiting in the wings randolph peters will try to get the transporter past the intersection in one go without any forward and reverse maneuvering that will also help spare the traffic island at the highway embankment there's not a lot of room for the 50-meter load [Music] and the next half hour will be smooth sailing the scouts have arrived at the intersection where the transporter will turn off into the coal mine that's still in operation the tail of the drive station will have to swing over this grassy strip your shrink this sign is in the way here we'll cut it off and then put a cap on it this time they don't use muscle power instead reach for the electric power cutter it's a job of less than a minute doesn't need a moment we'll sell this for scrap now we'll set it aside here and later we'll put a pipe connector on it soldering it together is another option but in the end that might cause extra work for the traffic engineering company we don't know how many more times we might need to remove the sign there might be more transports arriving like this and then we'd have to get the sign out again we might eventually have the signs soldered but i suspect we'll see more deliveries that need this sign removed now it's time for the advance crew to get back on the road the spmt with its heavy load is almost here and another challenge lies ahead for transport pro randolph petas we're leaving the highway taking a right into the coal mine we've had a traffic sign removed that would have blocked our path we might still have to remove one or two boundary posts then we'll hang a ride and drive in undone being the transporter plus its load is 50 meters long and six meters wide three times wider than a passenger car randolph peters inches his way forward with care they're getting pretty close to this right-of-way sign they can't reverse because their wheels might sink into the unpaved roadside the steel frame barely squeezes its way past the traffic sign now they're running out of room on the right the inside of the turn the spmt can't go further to the right a rail is in the way gunter loop who's monitoring the rear lifts the transporter's chassis as high as it will go the spmt's engine just barely skirts the guardrail it's also a tight squeeze at the mine entrance fortunately the boundary post is flexible and survives the encounter now it's just a few hundred meters to their next stopping point continuing on these gravel roads would be too dangerous in the dark at the next intersection the transport pros park the spmt we're done for the evening straighten those wheels and then we're done everything went well on this stage we're hoping it won't be quite so hot tomorrow and we'll finish the job there's a couple difficulties ahead like we'll be driving on gravel roads from here on out so we'll have to watch for any gradients there are also some slopes with pretty substantial transverse gradients and some 90 degree turns where we'll have to be careful and compensate for everything but i'm sure we'll manage it the next morning at the united states at 9am on the dot randolph peters and his colleague gunther lupg are getting ready to tackle the third and final leg in three hours the conveyor drive station is due at its new home this first section is still fairly level but it still has some surprises in store this left turn looks harmless but for a 50 meter long and 6 meter wide colossus it's a challenge the turn is a sharp 90 degree right angle we're going to have to cut the corner you want to hit the center of the curve and then turn the wheels near the vertex to make the turn so far so good there's enough room on the outside of the curve but exiting the curve there's vegetation the steel structure can pass over it the engine can't handle peters lets the transporter move onto the loose gravel at the inside of the curve the swinging axles handle it with ease he lifts the chassis to make sure the wheels have plenty of clearance the first bottleneck is behind them [Music] a few hundred meters later comes a stretch that has three tricky elements there's a gradient of 12 percent it starts right in the middle of a sharp right turn and the turn itself slopes inward a real challenge even for a pro like randolph peters his colleague gunther adjusts for the inward slope by raising the right side hydraulically the transporter stays level yeah that's good that's good the swinging axles compensate for the slope in the road there's a cross slope here we wouldn't manage it without swinging axles that's one of the advantages of this vehicle the outside of the curve is the same more uneven terrain the next challenge is the gradient behind the curve at 130 tons in all the transporter is eager to barrel its way downhill slowing it down takes nearly all the rig's braking power every second axle on the transporter is equipped with drum brakes the other axles which are hydraulically driven by the 500 horsepower engine brake when the hydraulic pressure is reduced we're driving so slowly that the oil will start to go into reverse when there's not enough load on the axle at low loads the wheels can lose their grip then just a bit of hydraulic pressure is enough to spin the wheels backwards the transporter creeps its way down the slope just 300 meters take half an hour it's a relief when you get past a stretch like this safely and without any real problems on a wet road we wouldn't have managed it [Music] this stretch of gradient really should be paved a 12 to 14 gradient is pretty intense before they continue randolph peters discusses the rest of the route with thomas meisner an engineer at the mitel deutsche brown cooler company we're going to do another maneuver so that we back up into the construction site with the tail end facing forward there's a good spot to turn up there then we'll drive and reverse down the next slope this is the last stop where the transporter can make a turn before it reaches its destination there's not a lot of leeway but the axles can rotate 360 degrees that does the trick on this next stretch the road takes three tight turns it's too narrow for the transporter so randolph peters has to navigate it off the paved road you have to be careful that the wheels don't lock the transition from paved road to gravel is a bit tricky it drops slightly and the traction changes we have to compensate for that raise the front gunter here comes the tricky spot the transporter might touch the road here in the middle at the engine or the power pack raise the back raise the power back steering accelerating braking and adjusting the height it's a two-person job working together the two heavy transport pros managed to traverse the challenging spot which proves even trickier than expected the road was offset by about half a meter over 50 meters quite the adventure but if you take it nice and slow and you're working with someone who can compensate for that it's doable [Music] two more kilometers to go and the thermometer has hit 35 degrees celsius heat that would make even a casual stroll uncomfortable on a job like this it's brutal you have to walk backwards quite a lot eventually you get used to it when i started out i was quite a bit slower but now i can walk backward just as fast forward i can do about five kilometers per hour you get used to it and then it's no big deal there's one final obstacle a bridge over a conveyor belt it's a tight squeeze for the six meter wide transporter and its 50 meter length doesn't help either a pretty steep incline on a short stretch of road going to raise the left this bridge is rated for a maximum of 60 tons the loaded transporter weighs 130 tons in all but because it's so long and the load is distributed across 12 axles that's not a problem after two days and one night on the road the drive station finally reaches its destination a perfectly planned job all part of a day's work but still a relief you're always happy when you reach the destination without any difficulty or damage sure it's a relief the heat was hard on man and machine we're happy that we've come to a safe landing and we're planning to go swimming this afternoon before they can call it a day the drive station still needs to be lifted off the transporter and onto the crawler tracks they've already been put into position right here you see the interface of the drive station this is where the big chassis will be mounted so they'll be welded back on these here are the interfaces they have to fit down to the millimeter this is its counterpart on the running gear this is where it will be mounted which is a perfect fit then it'll be welded together the huge truck-mounted cranes which have a maximum lifting capacity of 300 and 400 tons get to work they lift the drive station off the transport modules and set them down on the crawler tracks half an hour later the assembly crew can also get to work transport pro randolph petas is doing mop-up he hauls the heavy tension chains and accessories into the container the transporter gets shifted into base position now he's finally done for the day it all went well but when you finish one job you know the next one's waiting in the wings then the whole thing starts all over again you

Channel: WELT Documentary

Views: 251,877

Keywords: full documentary, full documentaries, hd documentary, hd documentaries, free documentary, welt documentary, welt documentaries, full length documentaries, documentary film, top documentaries, reports, factual film, transport, haulage, heavy haulage, cranes, vehicle, SPMT, Self Propelled Modular Transporter, equipment, mining, Leipzig, Saxony

Id: nTZRONnJI0g

Length: 49min 35sec (2975 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 15 2021